The fantasy of Narnia has never left me. Thirty years have passed since I devoured the tales by torchlight, hiding under my bed covers for fear of being discovered by my parents and to hide myself away in case the White Witch of Narnia should miraculously appear, writes Fiona Tarrant.

I can still feel the wind in my hair as Aslan carried me on his majestic back, high above the treetops and away from the cold ice the Queen created.

I still feel a wave of friendship and sympathy for the faun, Mr Tumnus, who was so kind, yet had fallen under her wicked spell.

Yet the book I refer to was, by today's standards, somewhat old-fashioned. It's all the more remarkable then that this book has weathered the test of time.

On Monday, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe CS Lewis's second book in the seven chronicles of Narnia celebrates its 50th birthday.

Despite its age, it still makes an annual appearance in children's Christmas stockings and retains its place on the bookshop shelves. The redeeming feature of the Narnia books is that they still retain the same magic now as they did all those years ago.

Computer games, cartoon characters and short-lived cult TV series can come and go but Narnia will always remain. Unlocked from the mind of one of the greatest children's authors this century has produced, Narnia is a place you can revisit at any age without fear of prejudice or retribution.

As I now read the stories to my enthralled son, memories of childhood come flooding back and the imagination that a simple, wooden wardrobe inspired comes back with a feeling of warmth and nostalgia.

That is why CS Lewis or Jack as he preferred to be called is so revered. A tutor at Oxford's Magdalen College for almost 30 years, he could have caught himself up in the sort of academic tomes which appeal to the interested few.

Instead he transported himself and his readers to Narnia, a place where we could all feel at home and have an interest.

Inspired by the nature reserve behind his Risinghurst home, CS Lewis created a series of books with unwaning appeal. As an example of fantasy writing, the Chronicles of Narnia remain unparalleled. t